TO WHOM DO WE GRAVITATE?

“And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and His disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ But when He heard it, Jesus said, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means: “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.” For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.’”  (Matthew 9:10-13 ESV)

It occurs to me that one way to test the authenticity of our faith is to ask ourselves to whom do we gravitate as we make our way through life: to the power brokers, the shakers and movers, the beautiful people who make us feel so much better about ourselves?  Or do we move toward those who have nothing going for them in this world, and who can do nothing for us?  Are we willing to befriend and listen to those awkward people others avoid?  Can we love them when love seems useless, when we cannot help them?  Can we care about them though they never return our affection?  Can we do this in faithful obedience to God, even though no one sees or knows but He?

We can when we remember that God is the Father of the downtrodden and disenfranchised, and that includes us.  We too have nothing but our wretchedness to bring to God.  Only when we remember His sympathy for us can we speak or act in sympathy for others.  Then we have a faith that emulates Christ. 

-- Adapted from “Growing Slowly Wise” by David Roper

#6213

MEEKNESS ISN’T WEAKNESS

“Jesus made a whip from ropes and chased them all out of the temple. He drove out the sheep and oxen, scattered the money changers’ coins over the floor, and turned over their tables.”  (John 2:15 NLT)

Whenever you and I hear the word meek, our minds tend to think WEAK. But meek is not weak. Not even close….

Strength under control. Power under discipline.

Jesus is a prime example of a meek person. Was Jesus weak? Well, go back and watch Him as He cleans out the temple. With a whip made out of cords, He drove everyone out of the temple courtyard in extremely short order. No one struggled with Him. No one challenged Him. I find it hard to believe some wimp could have accomplish this. No one wanted to mess with the man from Nazareth. He was very strong and had great authority.… But He also characterized Himself as a meek person.…

Jesus was meek. He had the greatest possible strength under the greatest possible control. While He was on the cross, He could have called ten legions of angels to come to His aid. But He stayed on that cross and held His vast power in check… out of love for you and me.  

-- David Jeremiah

#5553

CALLING ORDINARY SAINTS

“Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things -- and the things that are not -- to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him. It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God -- that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.’”  (1 Corinthians 1:26-31 NIV)

The church and the world need saints. They need saints more than they need more canny politicians, more brilliant scientific discoveries, more grossly overpaid executives and [professional athletes], more clever entertainers and talk-show hosts. Are there any on the horizon…, either of the extraordinary or the ordinary kind? I think there are. Maybe I should say that there are saints "aborning" by God's grace. [Douglas Steere described "saints" as] those whose lives have been irradiated by God's grace, who seek not to be safe but to be faithful, who have learned how to get along in adversity, who are joyful, who are dream-filled, and, above all, who are prayerful. That is what the church and the world need most. It begins with you.

-- E. Glenn Hinson in “Spiritual Preparation for Christian Leadership”

#5452

OUR SHEPHERD - Part 2

In the New Testament Jesus uses [the term shepherd] and applies it to Himself. He says, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it… I am the good shepherd; I know My sheep and My sheep know Me.” (John 10:11-14)

Note four things about Jesus the Good Shepherd. He owns the sheep: they belong to Him. He guards the sheep: He never abandons them when danger is near. He knows the sheep, knows each by name and leads them out. And He lays down His life for the sheep, such is the measure of His love.

How thankful we should be, weak, wandering, and foolish as we are, that we have a shepherd. Let’s learn to keep close to Him, to listen to His voice, and follow Him. This is especially important in times of spiritual peril. Jesus tells us not to be misled (led astray) by the voice of strangers, and there are many strange voices being heard in the religious world of our day. Don’t be deceived by false teachers. Jesus is the Good Shepherd: trust Him. And Jesus is the door of salvation: enter by that door and you will find the full and abundant life He came to bring. 

-- Billy Graham in “Who’s in Charge of a World That Suffers?”

#5131

CHRIST’S POWER IN OUR WEAKNESSS

The Apostle Paul wrote: “Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time He said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”  (2 Corinthians 12:8-10 NLT)

That last sentence is the payoff -- the wisdom God taught Paul. God is always strong, but in our weakness that strength goes viral. The world sees that it is not about anything but Christ. At the end of me, I find strength in God that I never would have experienced otherwise…

As I’ve thought and studied over the years, I’ve changed my mind in some ways. Once I would have made the case that God works despite our weaknesses. Or God works around our weaknesses. But that’s not a strong enough statement. It’s not the real point. God doesn’t demonstrate His strength even though we’re weak -- He demonstrates it precisely through the weakness.

-- Kyle Idleman in “The End of Me”


#4586

SHALLOW LIVING

Today, parents have to be more intentional about their goals than did first-century parents, because parents must now contend with teachers who may negate the parental influence on every hand -- teachers like television and the Internet.  Perhaps other generations could have dared to say, "My children know how I feel without my spelling it out to them," but such a laissez-fare attitude will no longer work.  The competition for the human soul is much too fierce for that.  When one thinks of the number of subtle and corrupting siren voices that solicit a child or a teenager, one is astonished that so many children turn out as well as they do.  The quiet wooing of the Holy Spirit and what theologians call prevenient grace -- the faithfulness of God that seeks us before we turn heavenward -- are more active in our world than we can ever estimate, else the cause of righteousness would be quite overwhelmed by the never-ceasing insistence of the secular, the easy, the immediately profitable or enjoyable.

Nevertheless, the main burden of influence rests upon us, the parents and surrogate parents.  That is, we parents, teachers, employers, neighbors, and godly friends are the ones who determine whether a new generation will be found in the temple or in the provinces of shallow, thoughtless, and destructive living.  And because shallow or thoughtless living doesn't seem as perilous as "destructive" living, we may need to remind ourselves that life's perils often come in comfortable clothing.

-- J. Ellsworth Kalas in New Testament Stories from the Back Side

#3949